
Essential Tremor Awareness
“I don’t have Parkinson’s. I inherited my shaking head from my
grandfather Hepburn. I discovered that whiskey helps stop the shaking.
Problem is, if you’re not careful, it stops the rest of you too. My head just
shakes, but I promise you, it ain’t gonna fall off!”
When Katherine Hepburn said these words in the documentary “All about
me” she was referring to a neurological condition variously called Palsy,
Benign Familial Tremor, and now Essential Tremor (ET).
The National Tremor Foundation (NTF) is the registered British charity
which supports people with this condition. Established in 1994 they
estimate that up to eight times as many people have the condition as
have Parkinson’s. But have you even heard of it?
ET most commonly occurs in the hands, head, jaw, lips, voice, legs or
trunk. Some people are born with the condition, but it can develop at any
stage of life frequently increasing in severity with age. Described as an
“intention tremor” or “action tremor” it’s cause is not known – this is what
the “essential” in Essential Tremor means in medical parlance. Though
for many it may be no more than an annoyance, its severity can increase
until people have difficulty performing everyday tasks of eating, dressing
or teeth cleaning. It is exacerbated by stress, hunger, cold or tiredness.
Some prescription medicines also seem to make the tremor more
marked. Those with the condition are often accused of being nervous or
afraid, or to be suffering the after effects of drink or drugs.
Diagnosis is important, to rule out other conditions such as Parkinson’s
or Dystonia. In the past, and in some parts of the world still today,
patients were recommended to drink alcohol; but though it hides the
symptoms in the short term this can lead to very dangerous dependence.
The drugs commonly prescribed often have side-effects, but a treatment
has been developed that stimulates the brain using wires attached to a
battery under the skin, and trials are underway using ultrasound waves.
March is the Month designated for raising awareness of ET. This year
the NTF held an Open Day at the Holiday Inn in Oxford. Presentations
included the recent trials of Magnetic Resonance-guided Focused
Ultrasound, and Kevin Harfoot, Chair and Treasurer of the NTF, and
Jackie Farrrell, support group coordinator, spoke about their respective
roles. Jackie also gave a presentation on ET. I spoke about my own
experience of the condition and set out the plans for the new Oxford
support group, which I presently organize.